Friday, January 30, 2015

Sweater: Ann Taylor; Camisole: Target; Necklace: gift; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Pants: Anchor Blue (I think I have owned these pants since I was in High School!); Boots: Croft & Barrow

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I've been trying to find a solution to the cord chaos on the kitchen counter for a while now, so when I spotted this basket at Target this morning I saw possibilities!

The weave is open enough that I could shove cords through without much trouble...

I stuck the USB charger in the back and fished the phone charging cords through to the front bin.  I left several inches of slack so that the phones could easily be plugged in and sit upright.

Ta-da!  Chaos is gone!  (And it doesn't look anywhere near as bad as having the cords loose!)

Sweater: Lord & Taylor; Bracelet: Banana Republic; Jeans: Lucky; Boots: BCBG

Monday, January 26, 2015

If you are an east coaster I hope you are warm, safe and stocked up for the impending storm!  We are only expected to get a couple inches here.

Sweater: Maggie by Magschoni; Scarf: Rising Tide; Necklace: gift; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Friday, January 23, 2015

Sweater: Tahari; Camisole: Gap; Necklace: gift; Bracelet: Banana Republic; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

So...  I've been following Homemade Living Frugally on facebook.  They post lots of interesting stuff, including a "clean this" type post (seems to be daily, but I haven't been following too long) which is one of the main reasons I have kept them in my news feed.  It is often things that I just don't think to clean, like dusting walls, or yesterday's task: clean underneath your vanity and check for leaks.  I started the task thinking it would probably take me about 15 minutes: all the stuff under my vanity is in baskets, I hadn't noticed any water dripping on anything, just pull them out and wipe, right??  WRONG. 

Because it turns out I do have a leak...  Hooray.  Luckily, it is a very small leak, and you have to work pretty hard to get it to leak, but still, it needs to be taken care of before it turns into a problem.  Guess what Hubby will be doing this weekend??  Yes, he is just *thrilled*.  Still we are both glad we found it before it became a real problem that needs to be fixed NOW.  And I will be cleaning and checking under all the sinks in the next week or two.  Hooray...

Sweater: Evelyn Grace Cashmere; Scarf: Theodora of Callum; Necklace: gift; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Tuesday, January 20, 2015: Mona Lisa

Each time I visit Paris I make sure to visit the Louve and see the Mona Lisa.  However, I have never looked at it in this much detail!  If you love art, DiVinci, the Mona Lisa, or anything you should check out this fantastic digital Mona Lisa!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Today must be wildlife day!  I spotted a flock of about ten turkeys (are turkeys a flock?) on my way back from the grocery store this morning and a herd of seven or eight deer on my way to pick up Babygirl at school!  The only downside was that I was by myself both times, so I couldn't share it with Babygirl.  She loves seeing wild animals.  She would have especially appreciated the turkeys; the sun was shining on them and you could see how beautifully colorful they are.  If you have not seen a wild turkey in person you wouldn't realize that they are really very colorful; their feathers have a beautiful iridescent tone to them!

Planning for Babygirl's fourth (! Where does time go??) birthday party is well underway.  Babygirl has asked for an Olivia the Pig party.  Party supplies have started arriving.  I have no idea what type of food to serve at an Olivia the Pig party.  My husband's only suggestion was that bacon needs to be included...  (There is a reason he doesn't get involved much in the party planning!)

Sweater: Gap; Necklace: gift; Bracelets (top to bottom): my own, Banana Republic; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Kickers

Friday, January 16, 2015

I offer up my yearly shrine to St Jude: the entry floor!  This time of year I do consider keeping it clean a lost cause.  It only gets mopped every couple of weeks at best, unless we are having people over.  This picture was taken after I vacuumed...  Yuck.  (And my husband wonders why I make him take his shoes off at the door!)

Just wondering if other people have "lost causes" of this sort as well...

Sweater: Sophia Milano; Scarf: Kate Spade; Necklace: gift; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: BCBG

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Currently reading: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Sweater: Polo; Shirt: J Crew; Necklace: J Crew; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Went hunting for supplies for Babygirl's birthday party today.  None of the giant local party stores have Olivia (the pig) party supplies, so I guess I'm stuck with the internet and DIY.  I should be fine, still Babygirl would have had fun picking in person...

Sweater: Susan Bristol; Necklace: my own; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

Monday, January 12, 2015

Seems a little weird to think of 16 F as warm, but after last week's sub-zero temperatures, pretty much everyone thinks it is warm today at 16 degrees!

Sweater: Land's End; Necklace: gift; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Boots: Ugg

Friday, January 9, 2015

Still pretty nasty outside around here!  Today is only the second day this week that most of the area schools were in session.  They have been closed due to snow, cold, and more snow!

Babygirl was very excited to get to go back to school today!  Mommy was not so excited about going out on the cold, snowy roads...  We took the "back" roads on the way to school, and they seemed OK, so I decided it would be a good idea to run to the small local grocery on the way home.  Big mistake!  The main highway (which I had to take to get to the grocery store) was a sheet of black ice.  I saw many cars off the road, and did quite a bit of sliding around myself!  I was very grateful that Babygirl was not in the car.  The driver behind me following too closely did nothing to make me feel safer...

Anyway, outfits are all about warmth this week.  This sweater was given to me by my Mom when she moved to Florida, as it is "too heavy for Florida!"  (Honestly, most days it is too heavy for Wisconsin, and it is dated, but today I was grateful for it!)  I don't think I have gone a day without long underwear this week either...

Sweater: Burberry; Jeans: Lucky; Boots: Ugg

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Wednesday, January 7, 2015: Babygirl's First "Snow Day"

Babygirl had her first "snow day" off school today due to the extreme temperatures and -30 F windchill.  She was so upset this morning when I told her that she could not go to school that she started crying!  (I knew it wasn't going to go over well, because she LOVES school!)

We stayed at home, and I have been trying to catch up with the things that did not get done Monday because of Hubby's vehicle disaster.  The laundry room is starting to look better, and I have the "handwash only" dishes that were piled on the counter soaking in the sink.  I am slowly getting the house back to normal after Hubby being home for two weeks (for some reason this always makes the house worse--I think it is partly because he likes to cook, but does not "clean as he goes", and partly because I feel I deserve to take a break too--even though I know I will have more of a disaster later!)

For a little bit of fun I painted Babygirl's nails.  She loves to have her nails painted, but I only do it once or twice a month.  Unfortunately, she choose the green Ariel polish she got for Christmas and it wiped right off as soon as she washed her hands!  (Her nails do not hold polish well, and this is the second time we have had a polish designed for kids wash right off!)  I think in the future we will stick to "Mommy polish" for her nails.

I also let her pick a toy from the Christmas bin.  Since I think she receives too many toys for Christmas, I started the practice a year or two ago of putting all the toys she receives in a large bin or box.  Each week she gets a toy.  I just think it makes each gift a little more special.  Unfortunately, we usually still seem to have toys in the bin when her birthday rolls around in mid-February.

She chose some felt tea bags from the bin and had a lovely "tea party".  At some point a fish made its way into the teapot and she served me "fish tea"!  (It was delicious of course!)

I am hoping later today or tomorrow to get the Christmas decorations down.  Epiphany was yesterday, so I am a bit behind...  Hubby has already stated that due to the temperatures he is NOT eager to haul things up to the unheated attic.  I think the decorations will probably be tomorrow's project.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season!  We enjoyed spending time together as a family, spending time with extended family and eating lots of things we normally would not!

My Mother had her gallbladder removed and was released from the hospital on Christmas eve.  She was VERY glad to get home and seems to be doing much better!  We are hoping she will feel up to receiving a visit later this month or in early February.

Had a bad case of the Mondays yesterday...  It was *freezing* cold, and Hubby took the beater truck to work.  It decided of all mornings that yesterday was THE day to break down!  Luckily Hubby was near a McDonalds, so he went and waited inside (it was negative double digits when he called me) so I could drop Babygirl off at school before I went and took him to work!  

Luckily it was a Monday, and my little brother NSD is off work (he is one of those lucky people who gets to work four ten hour days!)  Further luck was that he was at home, not doing anything and willing to help me out by driving my car to Hubby's work so I could drop off the other car and Hubby could have transportation!  Did I mention that it was (in addition to being really cold) a crappy snowy day?  Did I mention that NSD is not terribly comfortable driving stick (Hubby's car, although it was mine prior to me needing a "Mom Car") and that my car could use new tires??  Hooray.  It did also mean I was late picking Babygirl up from school, which made me feel terrible, but the school was great about it.

I had called my Uncle/mechanic, but had not heard from him by lunch, so NSD and I stopped by...  Best line of the week "Um, yes, I *think* my phone is in Japan..."!  lol!  My youngest cousin (his daughter) plays in the Marine Corps band and is stationed in Okinawa; she was visiting for Christmas, and he had dropped her off at the airport a few days prior.  During the ride, he handed her his phone and asked her to hang on to it...  Unfortunately he forgot to ask for it back when they got to the airport...  He picked up a new phone last night, but I'm really glad I stopped by and didn't wait for a return call!  

After picking up a new phone, Uncle arranged to have the truck towed to his house by a friend so it wouldn't have to stay in a fast food parking lot on a snowy night.  I had called the restaurant, and they were very nice about it, but I don't think they wanted it there any more than we did!  There are some definite advantages to having a mechanic Uncle, and I was very grateful for mine yesterday!

We are having a terrible cold snap here in southeastern Wisconsin.  I don't think it has been above -5 F when we woke up this week, and tomorrow we are supposed to have a high of 0 F!  Outfits are currently all about staying warm and therefore kind of boring...  

Honestly Babygirl and I would not have left the house today, but Babygirl had an appointment to get her ears pierced this morning!  The ear piercing was a Christmas present from Mommy and Daddy since she has been asking us forever!  She was very excited about it Christmas morning when we gave her a small box and she discovered earrings inside!  Ever since she has been asking constantly: when??  She was a very good girl for the doctor and she didn't even flinch at the sound of the gun!  I was REALLY proud of her!  And no surprise, but she pointed out her newly pierced ears to everyone everywhere we stopped before we headed home!

Sweater: Autumn Cashmere; Scarf: from Paris; Rings (right hand): TJ Maxx; Jeans: Lucky; Belt: Calvin Klein; Boots: Ugg

I got a new camera for Christmas!  My aging Elph just wasn't putting out quality shots anymore, so I picked out the newer model.  I'm really excited about being able to share better pictures!  

Thursday, January 1, 2015: Happy New Year

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions.  I think that if you want to make a change in your life, you should just do it and not wait for a new year to start.

That being said, if you do choose to make a resolution for the new year, make it a realistic expectation that will bring you happiness or bring joy to the world, not a goal to look like person in a magazine, or society's expectation of what women should look like.  You are you; the people in the magazines don't even look like those pictures in real life.  Be happy with you.